Bryan Richardson

Now

Re:Verse reading–Matthew 5:17-48 (day three)

“Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” It’s common to think of “kingdom of heaven” as a synonym for the afterlife. But Jesus is talking about life under the reign of God, whether that life takes place now or after we die. Jesus lived in the kingdom of heaven even as he walked the earth. Therefore, to live in the kingdom of heaven is to live–right now, not merely later–the kind of life that Jesus lives. That is the only kind of life that will last forever, and only Jesus–no other “righteousness expert”–can teach us that life. Part of what it means to “accept Jesus” is to become his apprentices so that he can teach us how to live under God’s reign.

Kingdom

Re:Verse reading–Romans 14:1-21 (day three)

“The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking.” Just what, then, is the kingdom of God a matter of? If it isn’t a distinct way of living, a particular method of conducting our affairs, a penchant for upending expectations, then why are we learning all this stuff? Paul refocuses our thinking. It is possible for us to get into the habit of calling our behavior “counter-cultural”, when it’s actually a version of “I thank thee that I am not like this tax collector.” Paul instead grounds the kingdom in God’s sovereign intent for humanity: righteousness, peace, and joy. Don’t look for “better behavior”; look for righteousness. Don’t look for agreement among like-minded people; look for peace. Don’t look for satisfaction; look for joy. Where you find those three, you will find God’s kingdom.

Defer

Re:Verse reading–Romans 13 (day three)

“Let everyone be subject…” Apparently there is no such thing as everlasting life without submission to others. Whether in biological submission–“honor thy father and thy mother”–or in spiritual submission–“the one in authority is God’s servant”–life that lasts places itself in the presence of others in order to obey or serve or listen or grow. Even the Godhead lives in eternal deference to each of the persons of the Trinity: “[The Son] can only do what he sees his Father doing”; “[The Spirit] will speak only what he hears”; “This is my Son; listen to him.” Any life that is eternal will always lay itself down for others. There is no life outside of such a fellowship. Let us obey whom we must obey, and serve whom we must serve. Therein lies life.

Strategy

Re: Verse reading — Romans 12 (day three)

“Overcome evil with good.” In our world of “culture wars” and “love wins” and “right and wrong side of history”, we can come to believe that we fulfill our calling by striving to keep the forces of the devil from advancing. But the question is not, “Will evil conquer the world?” Rather, the question is, “Will we become good?” Paul tells us to become transformed by the renewing of our minds, and to set our minds on things above instead of earthly things–on the good that must take root in our lives rather than the bad that threatens us in this world. Self-inventory in the presence of our Lord is always the harder task. But unless we submit to his transforming discipline, we will never think like Christ when it comes time to act against evil.

Imagine

Re:Verse reading–Romans 9:1-8, Romans 10:1-21 (day three)

“It is not as though God’s word had failed.” We think we know how events must happen if they’re going to happen; otherwise, they aren’t happening. We’ve thought that way for a long time: Moses striking the rock instead of speaking to it; Saul offering the sacrifice instead of Samuel; Nicodemus asking how these things can be. When the particular anticipated moment they had imagined never came, often the people became afraid that God had failed or bitter that he had failed to act. So when we feel the same way, we join a long line of small thinkers. God is much greater than we can imagine, though, Paul says elsewhere. What if God does something in a different way than you thought it needed to happen? Has God failed–or are you about to learn something?

Liberate

Re:Verse reading–Romans 8:18-39 (day three)

“The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay.” God has placed creation at the mercy of man (“subjected it to futility” is how Paul puts it). We are to steward this creation. We have the power to do so, and that power is indeed great. We begin to see how great when we read that all of creation–all of it–is in the throes of decay. That’s our doing. In our sinfulness, we corrupt everything we touch. The sheer scale of the ruin we have visited on this universe–ruin of spirit, body, society, nature–is staggering. But God has given a hope-filled promise concerning all of creation–that he will liberate it as he makes all things new. Do you treat spirit, body, society, and nature as if you are now part of God’s liberation?

Fitness

Re:Verse reading–Romans 8:1-17 (day three)

“If by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” Left to its own power supply, the human body will eventually become completely drained of all energy and die. This is the damning detail of the fall of man: We ceased to draw our source of energy–of life–from the spiritual realm, in particular from God himself. There is no reason these bodies God created should not last forever, provided they remain joined to the source of their power. Did you know your body was that well-made? Any program of physical conditioning must include a submission of your body to the leadership of Jesus Christ, or the care of your body is ultimately in vain. Are you willing to let Jesus teach you how to live in your body?

Physical

Re: Verse reading–Romans 6 (day three)

“Do not let sin reign in your mortal body.” Sin is not just in your mind. It’s in your body. Yes, sin–that dimension of evil that we associate with secret desires and private thoughts and internal struggles–is also a very physical reality. The body is not just a marionette operating helplessly at the end of the strings that the mind controls. It has appetites and habits and ways that require little to no thought from your mind or direction from your will. The Lord not only intends to save your spirit; he intends to save your body as well. That’s what resurrection is all about. The old hymn says, “Take my hands…take my feet…take my voice…take my lips….” Will you confess the Lord as Lord of your body?

Because

Re:Verse reading–Romans 5:1-11 (day three)

“Hope does not put us to shame.” Sometimes, a person’s thinking about the future is rooted in naiveté, not reality: The child who counts on the arrival of a parent who has in fact abandoned her, for instance. But sometimes, a person’s vision of the future isn’t rooted in what should happen, but it is instead rooted in what must happen. This is the place where the prophets stood. They presented not what should happen, or even merely what was going to happen. They presented what must happen, because thus saith the Lord. Paul stands in that same place. He says our assurance of salvation is rooted in nothing less than God’s glory–His character, goodness, and His being. Therefore, hope is is not a wish or a dream. It is our knowledge of what must be. Because God.

Questions

Re: Verse reading–Romans 4:1-25 (day three)

“Abraham believed God.” Paul was conversant enough with the intellectual traditions of the ancient world that he undoubtedly knew the questions that had vexed thinkers for centuries: What is the good life? How does one become a truly good person? Paul would have asked those questions this way: What enables a man to live like God does–loving, pure, true, good, giving, and whole (in short, righteous)? In answering that question, Paul recalls Genesis 15, and points out that living like God lives starts with faith. It starts with believing what God says. Until we do that, nothing else will help us.